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People
who have more than 14 alcoholic drinks a week may be significantly
increasing their risk of rectal cancer, though the risk does
not appear to be quite as high for wine drinkers, according
to Danish researchers.
The study,
from the Centre for Alcohol Research in Copenhagen, also found
no link between alcohol consumption and colon cancer.
The findings,
reported in the journal Gut, add more confusion about alcohol
and its link to colorectal cancer. Previous studies have suggested
a weak connection between excessive drinking and colorectal
cancer.
In this
study, the researchers followed nearly 30,000 men and women
for an average of 14.7 years recording weekly intake of beer,
wine, and spirits. By the end of the study period, 411 people
had developed colon cancer and another 202 were diagnosed
with rectal cancer.
Those
who reported drinking more than 14 servings of beer and spirits
every week, but not wine, were more than three times more
likely than non-drinkers to develop rectal cancer, the researchers
reported.
Those
who drank just as much but where wine accounted for one-third
of their alcohol intake had a lower risk, though it was still
almost double that of non-drinkers.
Source:
Colorectal
Cancer Week of May 18, 2003
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